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UNIVERSITY     OF     ILLINOIS     BULLETIN 

Issued  Weekly 
Vol.  XXI 1 1  October  19,  1925  No.  7 

[Entered  as  second-class  matter  December  11,  1912,  at  the  post  office  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  under  the 
Act  of  August  24,  1912.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  the  special  rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section    1103,   Act  of  October  3,    1917,  authorized  July  31,    1918.] 


KDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  CIRCULAR  NO.  38 


BUREAU  OF  EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 


THE  ASSIGNMENT  OF  LESSONS 

By 

Charles  W.  Odell 

Associate,  Bureau  of  Educational  Research 


THE  UBJWRy  OF  Tfff 

JAN     P  ]( 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


'—fl 

THE  ASSIGNMENT  OF  LESSONS 

A  principle  of  learning.  Self-activity  is  one  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  learning.  Learning  occurs  only  through  doing.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  primary  duty  of  the  teacher  to  stimulate  the  pupils 
under  her  charge  to  engage  in  appropriate  mental  activities.  A  pre- 
requisite for  the  fulfillment  of  this  duty  is  the  formulation  of  tasks 
or  exercises  which  will  provide  the  basis  of  the  desired  activities. 
The  assignment  of  learning  exercises  is,  therefore,  a  vital  phase  of 
teaching. 

Function  of  the  assignment.    The  function  of  the  assignment' 
may  be  considered  as  threefold.    It  should  set  a  definite  task,  moti- 
vate the  accomplishment  of  this  task,  a3d  give  the  pupils  the  neces- 
sary directions  for  study.    Each  of  these  functions  will  be  discussed 
at  some  length. 

Some  writers  give  statements  of  the  function  of  the  assignment 
which  involve  more  than  three  aims.  One  of  the  best  of  such  state- 
ments is  that  given  by  Davis,1  who  states  that  the  assignment  should 
(a)  show  clearly  what  is  to  be  done,  (b)  inspire  pupils  to  perform 
the  tasks  set,  (c)  direct  attention  to  difficulties  and  aid  in  overcoming 
them  by  suggesting  aids  and  references,  (d)  show  how  the  subject- 
matter  is  organized,  mentioning  relationships  not  likely  to  be  seen 
by  pupils,  (er  place  study  material  upon  such  a  qualitative  and 
quantitative  plane  that  it  will  meet  the  needs  and  abilities  of  the 
class.  The  chief  difference  is  that  the  last  three  points  of  the  fivefold 
division  are  really  subdivisions  of  the  last  one  in  the  threefold 
division* 

At  this  point  the  comment  should  perhaps  be  made  that  the 
purposes  just  mentioned  are  not  separate  and  distinct  from  each) 
other,  but  that  they  frequently,  perhaps  even  usually,  overlap/^Al^ 
though  a  teacher  should  be  clear  in  her  thinking  as  to  just  what 
purpose  each  part  of  her  assignment  is  to  fulfill,  it  is  not  necessary 
that  this  be  apparent  to  the  pupils.  Furthermore,  it  should  be  noted 
thaythe  purposes  may  not  appear  in  each  day's  assignment.  If  the 
pupils'  interest  in  a  subject  has  been  aroused  previously,  it  is  often 
unnecessary  to  do  more  than  state  clearly  and  definitely  the  tasks  to 
be  done  in  order  to  motivate  the  work  of  the  next  day.    If  the  work 


^avis,  S.  E.  The  Work  of  the  Teacher.  New  York:    The  Macmillan  Company, 
1918,  p.  141. 


631919 


is  of  a  type  which  has  already  been  frequently  encountered  and  for 
which  directions  and  suggestions  have  been  given,  very  little  or 
nothing  may  need  to  be  said  about  how  the  pupils  are  to  study. 

Importance  of  the  assignment.  The  assignment  is,  in  the  writer's 
opinion,  the  most  important  part  of  the  daily  recitation  because  it 
provides  the  best  opportunity  for  the  teacher  to  promote  the  mental 
development  of  her  pupils.  The  principle  of  self-activity,  referred  to 
above  implies  that  a  teacher's  success  depends  very  largely  on  the 
type  difficulty,  and  number  of  exercises  she  assigns  and  the  way  in 
which  she  does  so.  If  the  assignment  provides  a  suitable  and  definite 
task  instills  a  desire  to  accomplish  it,  and  gives  whatever  help  is 
necessary,  then  conditions  are  made  so  favorable  that  learning  is 
almost  sure  to  occur. 

Furthermore,  the  assignment  is  of  prime  importance  because  it 
plays  a  large  part  in  determining  the  general  study  habits  of  pupils. 
"The  fact  that  some  individuals  are  lazy,  careless,  and  slovenly  m   ' 
their  mental  activity,  whereas  others  are  attentive,  persevering,  and 
industrious,  may  be  attributed  in  many  cases  to  the  kinds  of  assign- 
ments which  have  been  made  to  them.   If  assignments  commonly  call 
for  too  much  or  too  little  work,  are  indefinite  or  ambiguous,  appear 
burdensome  or  distasteful,  or  regularly  require  work  on  too  low  a 
mental  level,  it  is  practically  inevitable  that  pupils  will  acquire  unde- 
sirable study  habits.   On  the  other  hand,  if  assignments  demand  the 
proper  amount  of  time,  challenge  but  do  not  exceed  the  pupils'  best 
intellectual  abilities,  arouse  an  interest  in  the  subject  and  a  desire 
for  knowledge,  they  will  do  much  to  develop  habits  of  mental  alert- 
ness, clear  thinking,  concentration,  and  other  desirable  traits. 

When  to  make  the  assignment.  Perhaps  the  most  important 
principle  concerning  the  time  when  the  assignment  should  be  made 
is  that  the  teacher's  practice  be  sufficiently  flexible  that  she  can  adapt 
it  to  the  differing  circumstances  which  arise  from  day  to  day.  It  is 
probably  desirable,  however,  to  form  the  habit  of  making  the  assign- 
ment at  a  given  time  except  when  there  is  some  reason  for  variation. 
a  At  the  end  of  the  period.  Undoubtedly  the  most  common 
practice  is  to  make  the  assignment  just  before  the  close  of  the  class 
period  Very  frequently  the  result  is  that  too  little  time  is  available 
in  which  to  make  it  satisfactorily.  There  are,  however,  several  argu- 
ments advanced  to  justify  the  practice.  Probably  the  most  valid  of 
these  is  that  the  next  day's  work  should  be  a  logical  outgrowth  and 


[  4  I 


continuation  of  the  present  day's  and  that,  therefore,  the  assignment 
should  grow  out  of  the  current  day's  work  and  follow  it.  Another 
argument,  of  especial  force  when  applied  to  the  lower  grades,  is  that 
the  assignment  should  be  made  as  near  to  the  study  period  as  possi- 
ble so  that  the  opportunity  for  the  pupils  to  forget  it  before  they 
begin  their  study  will  be  minimized. 

Both  of  these  arguments  have  a  measure  of  validity,  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  assignments  regularly  should  be  made  just  before  the 
end  of  the  period.  If  the  recitation  is  followed  by  a  supervised-study 
period  during  which  the  pupils  remain  with  the  same  teacher,  the 
close  of  the  class  period  is  generally  the  best  time  at  which  to  make 
the  assignment.  In  such  a  case  the  teacher  will  not  be  hurried,  since, 
with  the  study  period  just  ahead,  as  much  time  as  is  necessary  can 
be  used.  In  fact  the  assignment  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  study 
which  is  to  follow  that  it  may  be  considered  a  part  thereof  and  thus 
as  belonging  at  the  beginning  of  the  study  rather  than  at  the  close 
of  the  recitation  period.  In  case  sup_eryis£i  study  follows  immedi- 
ately, the  assignment  should  not  be  made  last  unless  it  depends  upon 
the  current  day's  work  to  such  an  extent  that  the  latter  must  be 
completed  first. 

b.  At  the  beginning  of  the  period.  Except  when  a  supervised 
study  period  immediately  follows  the  recitation,  or  when  the  assign- 
ment depends  upon  the  current  day's  work,  the  writer  believes  that 
it  should  be  made  at  the  beginning  of  the  period.  The  one  outstand- 
ing advantage  of  this  is  that  sufficient  time  is  insured.  In  addition, 
it  is  probable  that  a  higher  degree  of  interest  and  attention  can  be 
secured  at  this  time  than  later  in  the  period. 

c.  During  the  period.  In  case  the  assignment  does  depend  upon 
the  current  day's  work,  it  is  ordinarily  necessary  to  wait  until  the 
close  of  the  recitation  to  make  it.  Occasionally,  however,  something 
arises  in  the  course  of  the  class  discussion  which  furnishes  a  very  good 
point  of  departure  for  assigning  part  or  all  the  exercises  which  the 
teacher  wishes  done  for  the  next  day*  Some  pupil  may  raise  a  ques- 
tion which  cannot  be  answered  offhand  and  which  appears  worthy 
of  further  consideration,  the  teacher  may  discover  that  some  item 
needs  further  study,  or  some  other  occasion  may  arise  which  will 
motivate  a  portion  or  all  of  the  assignment  and  which  can  be  taken 
advantage  of  most  profitably  by  making  the  assignment  at  once. 
For  example,  in  American  History  the  class  may  be  discussing  the  part 

[   5   ] 


X 


taken  by  Roosevelt  in  the  war  with  Spain,  and  some  pupil  may  raise 
a  question  as  to  Roosevelt's  later  career.  This  would  be  a  suitable 
opportunity  to  make  an  assignment  dealing  with  Roosevelt's  admin- 
istration. To  give  another  example,  the  teacher  of  a  second-year 
Latin  class  might  seize  the  moment  when  the  pupils  discover  the 
difficulty  of  translating  the  speeches  of  Caesar  and  Ariovistus  to 
make  an  assignment  dealing  with  indirect  discourse.  This  suggestion 
of  course  holds  true  whether  a  supervised-study  period  follows  or  not. 

Planning  the  assignment,  a.  Planning  in  advance.  In  order  to 
insure  good  assignments,  particularly  suitable  learning  exercises,  it 
is  desirable  usually  that  the  teacher  plan  for  several  days  ahead.  In 
general,  plans  should  be  made  in  detail  for  at  least  thejiext-tw-o  da^s. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  make  some  alterations  in  these  plans  because 
the  teacher's  expectations  are  not  fulfilled  or  because  unforeseen  diffi- 
culties arise./ In  case  the  work  assigned  for  the  current  day  is  not 
completed,  the  amount  given  for  the  next  should  be  lessened.  In 
other  words,  the  assignment  should  not  require  more  than  can  be 
prepared  and  discussed  in  class  within  the  time  indicated.  If  the 
class  work  frequently  gets  behind  the  assignment,  the  pupils  are 
tikely  to  become  lax  in  their  preparation  and  to  lose  interest  in  the 
delayed  recitations.  (In  planning  ahead  the  teacher  should  not  only 
decide  upon  the  work  that  she  wishes  to  cover  in  the  next  few  days 
but  also  determine  how  much  time  will  be  required  from  day  to  day 
for  the  assignment  and  how  much  for  the  regular  recitation)  Unless 
she  knows  this  approximately,  she  cannot  plan  the  assignments  as 
she  should.  As  an  illustration,  take  the  case  of  a  teacher  who  has 
available  a  forty-minute  recitation  period.  On  Monday  when  she 
makes  the  assignment  for  Tuesday,  she  needs  to  know  how  much  of  the 
forty-minute  period  on  Tuesday  will  be  devoted  to  reciting  on  the  as- 
signment made  Monday.  This  involves  knowing  the  assignment  to  be 
made  on  Tuesday  for  the  recitation  on  Wednesday,  and  so  on  from 
day  to  day.  For  example,  if  Wednesday's  work  is  such  as  to  require 
a  fifteen-minute  assignment  on  Tuesday  and  thus  leave  only  twenty- 
five  minutes  for  recitation  purposes  on  Tuesday,  she  should  not,  on 
Monday,  assign  as  much  work  for  Tuesday  as  if  Wednesday's  lesson 
required  only  a  five-minute  assignment  and  thus  left  thirty-five 
minutes  on-  Tuesday  for  regular  recitation  purposes.  In  planning 
ahead  the  teacher  should  keep  in  mind  also  that  the  time  required  to 


[   6   ] 


make  the  assignment  is  not  always  determined  by  the  amount  of 
material  to  be  assigned,  but  rather  by  its  nature,  its  similarity  to 
what  has  been  studied  previously,  the  knowledge  which  the  class 
has  of  the  subject,  and  other  simliar  considerations. 

To  carry  out  the  kind  of  planning  just  described,  a  teacher  must 
not  only  make  a  detailed  study  of  what  is  to  be  done  in  the  next  few 
days,  but  also  have  a  wide  familiarity  with  the  subject-matter  and 
with  devices,  methods,  equipment,  and  other  aids  to  teaching.  To 
make  sure  that  their  work  is  planned  ahead  of  time  and  that  no 
essential  points  are  overlooked,  many  teachers  find  it  helpful  to  use 
prepared  assignment  sheets.  Such  a  sheet  contains  a  number  of 
headings  or  items  which  serve  to  form  an  outline  of  what  the  teacher 
must  think  about  and  do  in  making  the  assignment.  Each  heading 
is  followed  by  a  blank  space  in  which  the  teacher  indicates  what  is 
to  be  done  for  the  particular  day. 

b.  Parts  of  the  plan.  There  are  several  different  ways  in  which 
the  assignment  may  be  divided  but  only  one  will  be  suggested  here. 
This  is  a  twofold  division.  In  the  first  place  the  teacher  should  deter- 
mine the  aim,  that  is,  set  up  goals  to  be  reached;  and  in  the  second 
place  she  should  determine  what  exercises  the  pupils  should  perform 
to  achieve  these  goals.  Although  the  aim  needvnot  always  be  defi- 
nitely stated  and  labelled  by  the  teacher,  the  members  of  the  class 
shojjld  realize  what  it  is  and  should  understand  it.  They  should  see 
■fh  the  goals  to  be  accomplished  by  each  day's  work  and  the  rela- 
►f  Lnv.^-  to  the  more  general  objectives  of  the  whole  semester's 
or  year's  work.  /nu.  the  goals  have  been,  decided  upon,  the  teacher 
should  then  consider  what  siic  w^  Hn  in  order  to  enable  the  pupils 
to  achieve  them.  In  this  connection  she  -snouid  ^M*  attention  to 
both  the  subject-matter  and  the  method  of  attack  upon  it  and,  as  a' 
result  of  this  attention,  prepare  a  list  of  definite  exercises  to  be 
assigned  to  the  class. 

Goals  of  the  assignment.  The  goals  that  the  teacher  puts  before 
the  pupils  should  be  stated  in  terms  of  information  or  abilities  to  be 
acquired.  For  example,  the  goal  of  a  lesson  on  a  portion  of  the  mul- 
tiplication table  may  be  stated  as  being  to  review  the  tables  up  to 
6  times  6  and  to  learn  the  tables  of  sevens  and  eights,  up  to  7  times  7 
and  8  times  8,  respectively;  or,  the  goal  of  a  foreign  language  lesson 


[   7   ] 


I 


may  be  to  learn   a  certain  vocabulary  containing  fifteen  words,  to 
understand  and  be  able  to  apply  a  certain  grammatical  principle,  to 
learn  the  present  indicative,  active  and  passive,  of  a  given  verb,  and 
to  translate  a  specified  list  of  ten  sentences  into  English. 

The  statement  of  the  goals  should  be  definite  and  understand- 
able. The  pupils  should  be  told  whether  they  are  to  learn  the  material 
assigned  so  well  that  they  will   retain  it  permanently,  or  whether 
merely  for  temporary  use  as  a  tool  or  introduction  to  something  else, 
whether  they  are  to  learn  it  in  detail  or  merely  in  outline,  whether 
word  for  word  or  only  to  get  the  general  thought.   For  example,  it  is 
better  to  tell  a  spelling  class  that  a  certain  twenty  words  are  to  be 
studied  until  they  can  be  spelled  both  orally  and  in  writing,  and  also 
be  defined  and  used  in  sentences,  than  to  tell  the  class  merely  to 
study  the  twenty  words.   Again,  instead  of  telling  the  pupils  to  study 
a  certain  geography  lesson  until  it  is  learned,  it  is  far  preferable  to 
specify  that  they  should  study  it  until  they  can  name,  locate,  and 
describe  all  the  cities  mentioned,  state  the  chief  products  and  indus- 
tries of  tJhe  different  portions  of  the  country  and  so  forth.    Closely 
connec^j^Lji^n^^55  is  the  fact  that  a  teacher  should  indicate 
the  proper  emphasis  to  be  placed  upon  different  parts  of  the  work 
assigned.    It  rarely  occurs  that  all  portions  of  the  assignment  are 
equally  important  or  that  all  require  equal  amounts  oi  study  in  order 
to  be  learned  as  well  as  is*  desired. 
S        The  goals  set  up  should  be  not  only  definite  and  understandable, 
but  also  such  that  at  least  a  fair  proportion  of  the  members  of 
class  can  achieve  them.   Furthermore,  they  should  m*1-  so  nun 

l  r  -4-u      oU~,,u  +^o-  -c  isolated,  that  is,  the 

ous  as  to  be  confusing;  neither  should  t^         ,      .  ,  , 

......  ,      , :  i,       ,   ..   disconnected  with  each  other  or 

detailed  daily  goals  should  ~\  .  ,  ~\ 

.  -^6ci  ones  which  control  the  whole  semesters  or 

.cats  work.    They  should  rather  lead  the  pupils  to  see  that  all  the 
exercises  performed  are  a  series  of  steps  toward  a  final  end. 

Motivating  pupils'  study.  One  of  the  most  important  things  to 
be  accomplished  by  the  teacher  in  making  the  assignment  is  to  moti- 
vate the  work  of  her  pupils.  Since  to  motivate  means  to  move  to  ac- 
tion, accomplishing  this  requires  that  the  teacher  should  arouse  in  her 
pupils  the  desire  to  attack  the  exercises  with  zeal  and  energy.  The 
motives  and  incentives  employed  for  this  purpose  should  be  positive 
rather  than  negative,  although  there  is  occasional  place  for  the  latter. 
The  motivation  of  pupils'  mental  activities  is  by  no  means  restricted 

[   8   ] 


to  the  making  of  the  assignment,  but  should  be  contributed  to  by 
the  review  and  the  regular  recitation  as  well  and  in  a  somewhat  more 
indirect  way  by  practically  everything  done  by  the  teacher  in  con- 
nection with  her  teaching.  Therefore,  it  is  not  the  writer's  purpose 
to  enter  into  a  detailed  discussion  of  motivation.2  He  wishes  merely 
to  offer  a  few  suggestions  as  to  certain  types  of  motivation  peculiarly 
suited  for  use  in  connection  with  making  the  assignment. 

a.  Arousing  interest  and  bringing  out  values  in  the  subject- 
matter.  The  motivation  of  learning  is  very  closely  connected  with 
the  interests  of  the  pupils.  Therefore,  the  chief  duty  of  the  teacher 
in  this  respect  should  be  to  arouse  interest  in  the  subject-matter 
being  studied.  When  this  cannot  be  done  in  sufficient  degree  to  moti- 
vate study  satisfactorily,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  use  of  less 
desirable  incentives,  such  as  fear  of  failure  or  of  rebuke.  Closely 
connected  with  interest  in  the  subject-matter  is  the  appreciation  by 
the  pupils  of  the  values  contained  therein.  Especially  in  high  school 
is  it  desirable  that  these  values  be  brought  out,  and  the  teacher  should 
devote  some  time  and  attention  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  task. 
This  should  be  done  in  so  far  as  possible  through  suggestions  from 
the  members  of  the  class  rather  than  directly  from  the  teacher  her- 
self. Pupils  frequently  have  the  attitude  that  it  is  part  of  what  a 
teacher  is  paid  for  to  tell  them  that  the  work  has  value  and  therefore 
discount  what  she  says,  whereas  they  are  more  likely  to  believe  that 
their  classmates  are  sincere  in  stating  what  they  expect  to  get  out 
of  the  course. 

In  connection  with  making  pupils  realize  the  value  of  a  partic- 
ular task,  it  is  not  sufficient  that  they  see  the  value  of  the  course  as 
a  whole.  For  example,  many  pupils  know  that  a  course  in  English 
or  algebra  will  yield  definite  values  but  they  do  not  see  how  the 
daily  work  contributes  toward  these  general  ends.  In  other  words, 
the  mere  knowledge  that  the  course  as  a  whole  is  worth  while  is 
rarely  sufficient  to  motivate  the  daily  work  satisfactorily. 


2Any  one  who  is  interested  in  a  more  detailed  discussion  of  this  topic  may  find 
it  in  one  of  the  following  references  or  elsewhere. 

Charters,  W.  W.  Methods  of  Teaching.  Chicago:  Row,  Peterson  and  Com- 
pany, 1912,  Chapters  IX,  X,  and  XI. 

Nutt,  H.  W.  Principles  of  Teaching  High  School  Pupils.  New  York:  The 
Century  Company,  1922,  Chapter  IV. 

Parker,  S.  C.  Methods  of  Teaching  in  High  Schools.  Boston:  Ginn  and  Com- 
pany, 1920,  Chapter  XIV. 

[    9    ] 


\jy  Stimulating  curiosity.  Another  means  of  motivation  is  to 
raise  interesting  questions  that  will  stimulate  the  desire  to  perform 
the  exercises  assigned  in  order  to  learn  the  answers.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  most  skillful  assignment  possible  is  one  which  is  made  in 
order  to  enable  the  pupils  to  find  the  answer  to  a  question  that  has 
arisen  in  the  recitation.  Such  an  opportunity  is  frequently  offered 
when  a  discussion  or  argument  arises  among  the  members  of  the 
class.  It  is  much  better  for  the  teacher  to  avail  herself  of  such  an 
opportunity,  which  perhaps  she  may  have  provoked,  than  to  propose 
the  question  directly.  Closely  connected  with  this  is  the  practice  of 
telling  just  enough  about  the  next  day's  work  to  whet  the  pupils' 
curiosity.  Bagle%,3  says  that  the  acme  of  a  skillful  assignment  is 
reached  when  the  teacher  reveals  just  enough  of  what  is  contained  in 
the  lesson  to  stimulate  in  the  pupils  the  desire  to  ascertain  the  rest  for 
themselves.  Thus,  in  assigning  a  reading  lesson  the  teacher  may 
tell  in  incomplete  form  one  or  two  of  the  most  interesting  incidents 
contained  therein  and  thus  make  the  pupils  wish  to  read  the  whole; 
or  in  assigning  an  algebra  lesson  on  squaring  binomials  the  teacher 
may  show,  without  complete  explanation,  that  such  numbers  as  98  and 
201  may  be  squared  easily  in  this  way,  but  leave  it  to  the  class  to 
discover  just  why  the  method  yields  the  correct  answer.  For  a  third 
illustration  we  may  refer  again  to  Bagley,4  who  gives  the  following 
example.  He  states  that  a  certain  history  teacher  said  that  the  best 
recitation  he  ever  secured  from  a  history  class  was  one  dealing  with 
Benedict  Arnold  which  resulted  from  an  assignment  which  he  intro- 
duced by  saying  that  the  next  few  pages  of  the  book  told  about  a 
very  mean  man,  perhaps  the  meanest  and  most  contemptible  of 
whom  he  had  ever  heard.  He  then  added  that  he  doubted  if  it  would 
pay  to  spend  very  much  time  on  this  man,  but  that  after  all  it  was  a 
pathetic  case  and  the  students  might  read  the  pages  over  that  evening. 
c.  Appeal  to  past  experience.  The  teacher  should  make  many 
appeals  to  the  past  experiences  of  the  individual  members  of  the 
class.  She  should  point  out  relationships  not  only  between  the  work 
being  assigned  and  that  studied  previously,  but  also  between  the 
former  and  the  pupils'  past  experiences  outside  of  school.    The  op- 


3Bagley,  W.  C.  The  Educative  Process.  New  York:  The  Macmillan  Com- 
pany, 1915,  p.  317. 

"Bagley,  W.  C.  Classroom  Management.  New  York:  The  Macmillan  Com- 
pany, 1916,  p.  202-03. 

[  10  ] 


portunities  for  this  differ  greatly  in  the  various  subjects.  In  nature 
study,  physics,  and  literature,  for  example,  they  are  relatively  numer- 
ous, whereas  in  foreign  language  and  trigonometry  they  are  ordi- 
narily much  less  so.  Reference  should  be  made  to  local  history, 
industries  and  business,  sports,  recreations,  and  books.  Usually  the 
conversational  method  should  be  employed,  that  is,  the  teacher 
should  induce  the  pupils  to  contribute  these  facts  rather  than  to  do 
so  herself.  The  mere  fact  that  they  are  making  a  contribution  will 
do  much  to  hold  the  interest  of  the  pupils. 

d.  Speculation  and  imagination.  A  device  which  frequently  is 
useful  is  the  asking  of  questions  that  stimulate  imagination  and  spec- 
ulation. There  is  undoubtedly  the  greatest  opportunity  for  questions 
of  this  sort  in  connection  with  history,  but  they  may  also  be  used  in 
literature,  geography,  and  some  of  the  other  subjects.  Such  questions 
as,  "What  do  you  think  would  have  happened  if  the  South  had  won 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg?"  and  "What  would  be  the  political  condition 
of  our  country  if  the  French  had  won  out  in  the  French  and  Indian 
wars?"  are  of  this  type.  Indeed,  the  teacher  may  go  even  a  step 
further  and  formulate  questions  that  call  the  dramatic  instinct  into 
play  by  leading  the  pupil  to  identify  himself  with  some  historical 
character.  Examples  of  this  type  are:  "If  you  had  been  President 
Buchanan,  what  would  you  have  done  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired 
on?"  and  "If  you  had  been  President  Cleveland,  what  steps  would 
you  have  taken  to  try  to  avert  the  panic  that  occurred  during  his 
second  administration?" 

e.  Appealing  to  instinct  of  mental  activity.  Since  it  is  natural 
for  normal  human  beings  to  be  mentally  active,  provided  the  material 
being  dealt  with  is  of  interest,  making  the  assignment  in  a  way  to 
challenge  the  .best  efforts  of  the  pupils  frequently  yields  satisfactory 
results.  Such  statements  as,  "This  is  rather  hard,  but  I  believe  you 
can  get  it  if  you  will  try,"  "Here's  a  hard  question.  See  how  many 
of  you  can  be  prepared  to  answer  it  tomorrow,"  or  "I  shouldn't  ask 
some  classes  to  do  this,  but  I  don't  believe  it  is  too  hard  for  you"  are 
likely  to  stimulate  the  class  to  unusual  effort.  This  procedure  may 
be  varied  by  using  such  a  statement  as  "I  shall  not  assign  this  exer- 
cise as  a  part  of  the  regular  work  because  it  is  too  difficult  for  all  of 
you,  but  I  shall  be  very  much  gratified  if  some  of  you  can  do  it."  As 
is  true  of  the  other  forms  of  motivation,  so  here  especially  it  is  easy 
to  overwork  this  device. 


[  11  ] 


Statement  of  work  to  be  covered.  It  is  generally  agreed  that  the 
topical5  assignment  is  to  be  preferred  under  most  conditions.  Such 
an  assignment  usually  requires  that  the  pupils  do  more  than  merely 
study  a  textbook.  Thus  they  are  guided  in  learning  how  to  obtain 
from  books  or  other  sources  the  needed  information  and  to  organize 
it  in  proper  form.  Some  writers  advocate  that  in  making  such  assign- 
ments the  teacher  always  give  the  exact  reference  or  references, 
that  is,  tell  the  exact  pages  in  each  book  or  books  which  the  pupils 
should  consult.  The  present  writer  does  not  entirely  agree  with  this 
view.  He  believes  that  it  is  proper  to  begin  in  this  manner  but  not 
to  continue  specifying  the  references  so  explicitly.  As  the  pupils 
acquire  training  in  this  sort  of  study,  they  should  learn  to  work  more 
and  more  independently.  Therefore,  in  making  assignments  as  well 
as  in  directing  study,  the  teacher  should  aim  at  the  goal  of  rendering 
the  pupils  capable  of  finding  the  available  material  upon  a  given 
topic  with  little  or  no  assistance  from  her. 

The  topical  assignment  frequently  may  be  made  in  the  form  of 
a  list  of  questions  covering  the  main  points  to  be  studied.  Such  a 
list  may  be  arranged  in  outline  form,  with  certain  main  questions 
and  others  subordinate  to  them.  In  other  cases  an  ouAae  of  the 
usual  type  is  appropriate.  Sometimes  it  is  possible  and,  when  so, 
generally  desirable  that  the  list  of  questions  or  the  outline  be  worked 
out  by  the  members  of  the  class  under  the  guidance  of  the  teacher 
rather  than  merely  prepared  and  handed  out  by  her. 

Directing  pupils  in  their  study.  From  one  standpoint  the  whole 
subject  of  study  might  properly  be  treated  in  a  discussion  of  the 
assignment.  This  will  not  be  attempted  here,  but  instead  some  com- 
ments will  be  made  concerning  a  few  phases  of  study  which  appear 
to  have  an  unusually  close  connection  with  the  assignment  and  to 
which  the  teacher  should  give  attention  when  planning  and  making 
the  assignment.  If  there  is  no  supervised  study  period  available,  it 
is  probable  that  almost  all  the  help  that  the  teacher  gives  along  this 
line  will  be  in  connection  with  making  the  assignment.    Under  such 


5The  term  "'topical"  is  used  in  contradistinction  to  textbook  assignment.  By  it 
the  writer  refers  to  an  assignment  thaf  is  based  upon  or  centered  around  a  topic 
or  topic's  rather  than  upon  certain  pages  of  the  textbook.  The  emphasis  is,  there- 
fore, placed  upon  getting  together  information  relating  to  the  topics  mentioned  and 
organizing  it  into  a  whole  rather  than  upon  learning  the  information  in  a  given 
number  of  pages  regardless  of  the  matter  with  which  it  deals. 

^«- 
[12]  tfflflJI 


conditions  much  more  should  be  done  at  this  time  than  is  indicated 
by  the  following  discussion. 

a.  Giving  models  or  examples.  In  many  cases,  particularly 
when  a  new  type  of  work  is  to  be  studied,  it  is  advisable  that  exam- 
ples actually  be  done  in  class.  As  an  illustration,  if  a  new  type  of 
problem  in  arithmetic  or  algebra  is  being  assigned,  one  or  two  should 
be  worked  out  by  the  pupils  under  the  guidance  of  the  teacher.  In 
foreign  language  work  it  is  sometimes  desirable  to  do  a  portion  of 
the  translation  in  connection  with  the  assignment.  In  case  the  memo- 
rizing of  such  items  of  knowledge  as  the  multiplication  table,  spell- 
ings of  words,  or  vocabularies  or  paradigms  in  a  foreign  language  is 
required,  they  usually  should  be  repeated  by  the  class  in  order  to 
make  sure  that  a  correct  start  is  obtained.  For  example,  in  assigning 
the  table  of  nine's  the  teacher  might  well  have  the  class  repeat  in 
unison  either  after  or  with  her:  "One  times  9  equals  9,  two  times  9 
equals  18,"  and  so  on.  Likewise,  in  giving  a  vocabulary  in  French 
the  teacher  should  pronounce  each  French  word  along  with  its 
English  meaning,  thus,  "Phomme — man,"  "La  femme — woman,"  and 
so  on,  and  require  the  class  to  repeat  each  immediately  after  her. 
This  practice  insures  not  only  that  a  correct  start  is  made  but  also 
that  at  least  some  attention  is  devoted  to  the  material  to  be  memorized. 

b.  Training  in  reading.  Training  in  reading  is  one  of  the  most 
frequently  needed  helps  which  the  teacher  can  give  her  pupils.6 
Especially  in  high  school,  but  also  in  elementary  school,  the  subjects, 
except  reading,  are  often  assigned  with  no  consideration  of  whether 
or  not  the  pupils  can  read  the  material  comprehendingly  and  at  a 
reasonably  rapid  rate.  If  they  cannot  do  so,  they  should  be  given 
training  along  this  line  as  part  of  the  assignment.  Although  a  great 
deal  of  time  cannot  be  devoted  to  such  work,  much  improvement 
often  can  be  brought  about.  One  of  the  most  profitable  ways  of 
giving  training  in  reading  is  to  require  that  the  pupils  read  a  certain 
amount  of  material  in  a  limited  time  and  then  make  an  oral  or  writ- 


6In  a  study  made  of  eight  students,  who  were  doing  unsatisfactory  work  in  the 
University  High  School  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  the  investigator  found  that  all 
of  them  were  deficient  in  reading.  P'or  suggestions  in  regard  to  the  various  types  of 
exercises  devised  to  give  these  students  training  in  reading,  and  for  a  report  of  the 
results  of  the  investigation  see:- 

Monroe,  Walter  S.,  and  Mohlman,  Dora  K.  "Training  in  the  technique  of 
study."  University  of  Illinois  Bulletin,  Vol.  22,  No.  2,  Bureau  of  Educational  Re- 
search Bulletin  No.  20.    Urbana:    University  of  Illinois,  1924.    66  p. 

[  13  ] 


ten  summary.  These  summaries  should  be  limited  in  either  length  or 
time  or  both.  For  example,  pupils  may  be  told  to  read  a  certain  five 
pages  in  fifteen  minutes  and  to  write  a  summary  in  one  hundred 
words  or  in  five  minutes. 

c.  Pointing  out  difficulties.  Clearing  up  special  and  unusual 
difficulties  should  be  accomplished  while  making  the  assignment. 
The  members  of  the  class,  as  well  as  the  teacher,  should  participate 
in  this.  Time  often  can  be  allowed  for  the  pupils  to  skim  through 
the  material  assigned  in  the  endeavor  to  discover  unusual  difficulties. 
When  these  difficulties  are  mentioned,  whether  by  pupils  or  teacher, 
the  members  of  the  class  should  be  asked  for  suggestions  as  to  how 
to  cope  with  them.  Musions  that  will  not  be  understood  and  that 
the  pupils  will  need  to  look  up  should  be  mentioned.  Unfamiliar 
words  and  those  used  with  unusual  meanings  shouldjje  called  to 
attention.  Although  it  is  a  general  psychological  principle  that  pupils 
should  not  be  told  of  errors  which  they  have  not  made,  yet  if  the 
teacher  knows  from  past  experience  that  certain  errors  are  rather 
sure  to  occur,  s>he  may  well  warn  the  class  against  them.  In  this 
connection  it  is  helpful  for  the  teacher  to  recall  her  experiences  not 
only  when  teaching  the  same  subject  picviously,  but  also  when 
studying  it  herself. 

d.  Rules  for  study.  It  is  usually  advisable  for  the  teacher  lo 
give  her  pupils  a  few  rules  which  are  rather  definite  but  not  too 
complicated  to  guide  them  in  their  study.  Although  she  need  not 
attempt  to  state  complete  psychological  justifications  for  these  rules, 
as  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  pupils  understand  the  topic  of  study 
as  she  does,  she  should  point  out  briefly  why  each  rule  is  good  and 
in  this  way  interest  the  pupils  in  remembering  and  following  it. 
Probably  the  best  compilation  of  rules  of  which  the  teacher  may 
make  use  is  that  prepared  by  Whipple,7  but  there  are  many  other 
sources  from  which  such  lists  may  be  obtained.  A  number  of  books 
devoted  to  the  subject  of  study  have  been  published,  and  many  of 
those  dealing  with  methods  and  with  other  phases  of  teaching  contain 
chapters  or  sections  relating  to  the  topic  of  effective  study. 

Miscellaneous  suggestions,  a.  Providing  for  individual  differ- 
ences.   Many  writers  suggest  that  assignments  should  be  made  so 


7Whipple,   G.   M.    How   to   Study   Effectively.     Bloomington,    Illinois.    Public 
School  Publishing  Company,  1916. 

[  14  ] 


that  certain  exercises  are  indicated  which  all  members  of  the  class 
are  expected  to  perform,  additional  ones  for  all  except  the  few  dullest 
and  still  others  for  the  few  brightest  pupils.  These  are  commonly 
referred  to  as  minimum,  average,  and  maximum  assignments.  It  is 
not  necessary  that  the  number  of  differentiated  assignments  be 
three.  Sometimes  two  are  used,  sometimes  four  or  five  or  even  more, 
but  three  appears  to  be  the  most  common  number,  as  pupils  usually 
are  classified  into  three  groups  on  the  basis  of  ability.  Although  the 
writer  is  in  general  sympathy  with  the  idea  of  making  such  differen- 
tiated assignments,  he  does  not  believe  that  it  is  necessary  to  do  so 
every  day,  nor  that  differentiated  assignments  should  be  the  only 
means  of  caring  for  individual  differences. 

(/When  differentiated  assignments  are  made,  the  teacher  should 
be  cemun  that  nothing  which  ought  to  be  studied  by  the  whole  class 
is  given  to  only  a  portion  of  it.  In  other  words,  assignments  should 
be  differentiated  by  deciding  upon  a  common  body  of  minimum 
essentials  which  should  be  required  of  all  and  adding  to  that  for 
those  who  can  do  more  work,  rather  than  by  deciding  upon  a  body 
of  material  for  the  brightest  pupils  and  omitting  certain  items  for  the 
others.  Furthermore,  if  a  few  members  of  the  class  rather  constantly 
misunderstand  the  assignments  because  of  their  low  degree  of  mental 
ability,  they  should  be  given  the  additional  explanation  and  help 
needed  at  such  times  that  the  remainder  of  the  class  will  not  sit  in 
idleness  while  this  is  being  done. 

4"  b.  Pointing  out  relationships.  There  are  frequently  relation- 
ships between  different  parts  of  what  is  being  assigned  or  between 
certain  portions  of  it  and  knowledge  previously  acquired  which  pupils 
are  not  likely  to  discover  for  themselves.  The  teacher  should  either 
point  these  out  directly  or  lead  the  class  to  find  them.  For  example, 
a  character  or  event  in  history  may  often  be  compared  with  some 
person  or  thing  already  known  to  the  class,  or  the  relationships  be- 
tween events  remote  from  each  other  in  time  and  distance  may  be 
mentioned.  Again,  when  assigning  a  foreign  language  vocabulary, 
attention  may  be  called  to  English  derivatives  that  do  not  appear  as 
meanings.  To  give  still  another  example,  the  lower  grade  teacher, 
who  is  teaching  the  product  of  8  times  4  when  the  pupils  have  already 
had  that  of  4  times  8,  should  be  sure  that  they  realize  that  the  two 
products  are  to  most  intents  and  purposes  the  same. 


[  15  ] 


c.  Length  and  difficulty  of  assignments.  One  point  in  securing 
efficient  study  is  that  the  exercises  assigned  to  be  done  shall  not  be 
too  long,  too  numerous,  nor  too  difficult.  If  pupils  believe  that  the 
work  assigned  is  too  difficult,  they  are  likely  to  exert  themselves 
much  less  than  if  they  feel  that  they  can  complete  it  with  a  reasonable 
expenditure  of  time  and  effort.  Furthermore,  they  are  encouraged  to 
be  satisfied  with  partial  success  or  to  form  the  habit  of  failing.  Al- 
though assignments  that  are  too  short  or  too  easy  tend  to  encourage 
carelessness  in  mental  habits,  the  evil  results  from  them  are  less  than 
from  those  that  are  too  difficult.  A  teacher  should,  therefore,  risk 
making  the  assignments  too  easy  rather  than  too  hard. 

d.  Economy  in  making  assignments.  Although  a  teacher  should 
not  hesitate  to  make  use  of  all  the  time  that  can  profitably  be  devoted 
to  assigning  the  next  day's  lesson,  she  should  make  sure  that  none  is 
wasted.  For  example,  if  it  is  necessary  for  the  pupils  to  have  at  hand 
a  considerable  amount  of  material  which  must  be  given  by  the 
teacher,  it  should  be  duplicated  in  some  way  and  distributed  rather 
than  copied  from  dictation  or  from  the  board.  The  requirement  that 
assignments  be  written  in  full  detail  in  notebooks  has  some  merit, 
but  is  wasteful  of  time.  The  writer  believes  that  the  same  advantages 
will  be  gained  without  waste  by  allowing  pupils  to  take  down  the 
assignment  in  abbreviated  form,  writing  only  as  much  as  is  neces- 
sary to  make  sure  that  it  can  be  recalled  properly.  Assignments  for 
individual  work  such  as  reading,  reports  and  so  forth  often  may  be 
written  on  slips  of  paper  and  handed  to  the  various  members  of  the 
group  instead  of  being  given  orally  to  each  pupil  and  thus  consuming 
the  time  of  the  whole  class. 

e.  Securing  attention.  It  very  commonly  happens  that  pupils 
are  much  less  attentive  while  the  assignment  is  being  made  than  at 
any  other  time  during  the  class  period.  Frequently  they  jot  down  a 
few  notes  to  indicate  just  what  is  to  be  studied,  but  pay  little  atten- 
tion to  any  suggestions  by  the  teacher  as  to  how  this  should  be  done. 
The  chief  means  of  overcoming  such  an  attitude  is  to  make  sure  that 
the  various  suggestions  and  directions  given  are  helpful.  If  the  pupils 
are  led  to  realize  that  they  will  find  it  difficult  or  even  impossible 
to  prepare  the  work  satisfactorily  if  these  directions  are  not  heeded, 
or  that  attention  to  directions  will  reduce  the  amount  of  time  and 
effort  necessary  to  accomplish  the  desired  end,  they  will  be  apt  to 
give  careful  attention  to  the  entire  assignment. 

[  16  ] 


Criteria  for  judging  assignments.  Although  all  of  the  previous 
discussion  may  be  applied  in  judging  how  well  a  particular  assign- 
ment has  been  made,  it  probably  will  be  helpful  to  give  certain  definite 
criteria  by  means  of  which  the  merit  of  an  actual  assignment  may  be 
judged.  The  best  brief  list  of  criteria  for  this  purpose  with  which  the 
writer  is  familiar  is  that  given  by  Waples,8  as  follows: 

1.  Are  the  teacher's  directions,  whether  oral  or  written, 
understood  fully  by  each  pupil  in  the  class? 

2.  Is  the^  purpose  of  the  assignment  entirely  clear  to  each 
pupil  in  the  sense  that  he  knows  definitely  what  he  is  expected 
to  do  with  it  and  why? 

4.  Are  the  teacher's  directions  sufficiently  detailed  and  ex- 
plicit to  teach  the  class  how  to  use  materials  efficiently  and  to 
prevent  pupils  from  wasting  time  in  their  search  for  materials? 

4.  Do  the  teacher's  directions  show  how  the  material  should 
be  studied,  e.  g.,  what  passages  are  to  be  particularly  empha- 
sized and  which  read  rapidly,  and  so  forth? 

5.  Does  the  assignment  arouse  interest  in  the  following 
class  discussion? 

6.  Does  it  require  only  a  legitimate  amount  of  time  from 
the  pupil  of  average  ability? 

7.  Does  it  provide  for  marked  differences  in  ability  and 
interest? 

8.  Does  it  require  reflective  thinking  either  in  terms  of  the 
subject  matter  or  in  terms  of  related  situations  in  the  pupil's 
experience? 

9.  Is  the  work  which  the  pupil  is  expected  to  do  of  sufficient 
value  to  him  to  justify  the  time  and  effort  required  to  do  it? 

Waples  makes  it  clear  that  he  does  not  regard  this  list  as  complete 
and  exhaustive,  and  furthermore,  that  all  the  criteria  do  not  apply 
with  equal  force  to  all  assignments.  On  the  whole,  however,  it  may 
be  said  that  any  assignment  which  satisfies  all  these  criteria  is  almost 
certain  to  be  an  excellent  one,  whereas  any  that  fails  to  meet  as  many 
as  two  or  three  of  them  is  rather  surely  unsatisfactory. 

Burton9  gives  a  list  of  questions  that  may  be  used  in  judging  the 
assignment,  also  a  second  list,  which  he  terms,  "Observation  Outline 
in  Terms  of  Pupil  Activity."   The  questions  in  this  outline  probably 


sWaples,  Douglas.  Procedures  in  High-School  Teaching.  New  York:  The 
Macmillan  Company,  1924.  p.  156-57.  (Reprinted  with  permission  of  the  Macmillan 
Company.) 

'Burton,  W.  H.  Supervision  and  the  Improvement  of  Teaching.  New  York: 
D.  Appleton  and  Company,  1923.    p.  183-86. 

[  17] 


will  prove  of  even  more  help  to  the  teacher  in  judging  her  assign- 
ments than  the  Waples'  criteria,  and  are  given  as  follows: 

1.  Do  the  pupils  raise  new  problems  for  solution  as  out- 
growths of  the  one  under  discussion:  Do  they  ask  such  ques- 
tions as  lead  to  such  new  problems? 

2.  Do  they  attempt  to  get  better  understanding  and  clearer 
wording  of  the  problem  by  asking  questions  about  it?  By  re- 
wording it  themselves? 

3.  Do  they  develop  the  finished  statement  of  the  problem, 
subheads,  if  any,  and  the  method  of  attack,  through  a  discus- 
sion freely  participated  in  by  all  members  of  the  group? 

4.  Are  they  active  and  aggressive  in  outlining  the  problem? 
In  suggesting  methods  of  procedure?  Do  they  assist  in  break- 
ing the  main  problem  into  smaller  ones,  and  in  assigning  these 
to  groups  within  the  class? 

5.  Do  they  volunteer  to  be  responsible  for  one  of  the  sub- 
aims?  For  certain  sources  of  information?  For  such  extra  work 
as  arises  in  the  course  of  the  discussion? 

6.  Do  they  volunteer  information  already  in  their  posses- 
sion? 

7.  Do  they  ask  questions  that  indicate  a  realization  of  the 
problems  that  will  confront  them  when  they  attack  the  sources 
and  begin  to  gather  evidence?  Do  they  recall  any  study  rules 
or  hints  which  may  have  been  given  them? 

8.  Do  they  use  notes  or  written  outlines  in  lengthy  assign- 
ments ? 

9.  If  they  ask  each  other  questions  about  the  assignment, 
do  the  questions  indicate  inattention  by  the  pupil  or  insuffi- 
cient and  hurried  assignment  by  the  teacher? 

10.  Can  they  restate  or  outline  briefly  the  problem?  The 
general  line  of  attack  in  summary  form? 

11.  The  supervisor  should  note  also  the  effect  of  varied 
assignments  on  the  class.  Whether  they  take  it  as  a  matter  of 
course.  Regard  the  longer  assignments  as  a  burden,  a  chal- 
lenge, etc.  Do  the  slower  ones  hurry  in  an  effort  to  do  more 
than  their  ability  warrants,  become  discouraged,  etc.? 

Bibliography.  The  references  given  below  are  by  no  means  ex- 
haustive. The  writer  selected  from  the  books  that  he  had  at  hand, 
the  following  list  as  containing  the  most  helpful  discussions  of  the 
assignment.  In  some  cases  the  pages  cited  do  not  present  complete 
discussions,  but  merely  discuss  one  or  more  phases  of  the  general 
topic. 

[  18  ] 


Bagley,  W.  C.  Classroom  Management.  New  York:  The  Macmil- 
lan  Company,  1916,  p.  192-206.. 

Bagley,  W.  C.   The  Educative  Process.   New  York:   The  Macmillan 

Company,  1914,  p.  293-96,  317-19. 
Betts,  G.  H.   The  Recitation.    Boston:    Houghton  Mifflin  Company, 

1911,  Chapter  V. 

Burton,  W.  H.  Supervision  and  the  Improvement  of  Teaching.  New 
York:    D.  Appleton  and  Company,  Chapter  VIII. 

Charters,  W.  W.  Methods  of  Teaching.  Chicago:  Row,  Peterson 
and  Company,  1912,  Chapter  XXIV. 

Charters,  W.  W.  Teaching  the  Common  Branches.  Boston:  Hough- 
ton Mifflin  Company,  1913,  p.  100,  137-38,  229-30,  259,  295-96, 
342-45. 

Colgrove,  C.  P.  The  Teacher  and  the  School.  New  York:  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  1911,  p.  269-71,  279-89,  341. 

Colvin,  S.  S.  An  Introduction  to  High  School  Teaching.  New  York: 
The  Macmillan  Company,  1921,  p.  236-43,  340-49. 

Davis,  S.  E.  The  Work  of  the  Teacher.  New  York:  The  Macmillan 
Company,  1918,  Chapter  VI. 

Earhart,  Lida  B.  Types  of  Teaching.  Boston:  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  1915,  Chapter  VIII. 

Foster,  H.  H.  Principles  of  Teaching  in  Secondary  Education.  New 
York:    Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  1921,  p.  201-05,  216-17,  250-51. 

Freeland,  G.  E.  Modern  Elementary  School  Practice.  New  York: 
The  Macmillan  Company,  1919,  p.  16-22,  46-47,  244,  354-59. 

Hall-Quest,  A.  L.  Supervised  Study.  New  York:  The  Macmillan 
Company,  1917,  p.  86,  93,  129,  130,  143-53,  168,  193,  278-86. 

"Holley,  C.  E.   The  Teacher's  Technique.   New  York:    The  Century 
Company,  1922,  p.  20,  25-26,  73-77. 

"  Kupfer,  F.  A.  The  Lesson  Assignment.  Cleveland,  Cuyahoga  County 
Public  Schools,  1922.    17  p. 

Monroe,  Walter  S.,  and  Mohlman,  Dora  K.  "Training  in  the  Tech- 
nique of  Study."  University  of  Illinois  Bulletin,  Vol.  22,  No.  2, 
Bureau  of  Educational  Research  Bulletin  No.  20.  Urbana:  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois,  1924.    66  p. 


Sumner,  S.  E.  Supervised  Study  in  Mathematics  and  Science.  New 
York:  The  Macmillan  Company,  p.  12,  14-16,  63-65,  67,  118. 
121-22,  128-29,  132-33,  151,  162-64,  166,  198-99. 

Thomas,  F.  W.  Training  for  Effective  Study.  Boston:  Houghton 
Mifflin  Company,  1922.    p.  36-38,  52-54,  71-75.  133-37.  141-42. 

Waples,  D.  Procedures  in  High  School  Teaching.  New  York:  The 
Macmillan  Company,  1924,  Chapter  X. 

Wilson,  H.  B.,  Kyte,  G.  C,  and  Lull,  G.  C.  Modern  Methods  of 
Teaching.  New  York:  Silver,  Burdett  and  Company,  1924, 
p.  70-71,  103,  Chapter  XIV. 


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